Despite being under the influence of a of strong social reform movement for many decades, Tamil Nadu continues to grapple with casteism. While detractors point an accusing finger at the Dravidian movement, which they believe ought to have more forcefully pursued its anti-caste objectives, there is a counter-argument that not all the blame can be laid at its doorstep.
“When all political parties, including the Communists, objected to the arrest of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar in connection with the murder of Dalit leader Immanuel Sekaran, it was Periyar who supported the government’s action. He even organised a public meeting in Madurai during which stones were hurled at him,” points out veteran writer and activist S.V. Rajadurai.
He also cites the prevalence of atrocities against Dalits in Maharashtra, the home state of B. R. Ambedkar. “Can you conclude that Ambedkar is irrelevant just because of this?” he asks.
Mr. Rajadurai, however, agreed that both the DMK and the AIADMK, the political offshoots of the Dravidar Kazhagam founded by Periyar, articulated the interests of intermediate communities.
“They are anti-Dalit. Even though M G Ramachandran (MGR), the founder of the AIADMK, propagated a pro-poor and pro-Dalit ideology in his films, his eagerness to cultivate the intermediate communities was proved when he fielded Maya Thevar in the Dindigul by-election, the first election faced by his party,” Mr. Rajadurai charges.
Tokenism
Writer Imayam, a staunch supporter of the DMK, also complained that both the DMK and the AIADMK had followed only tokenism when it came to accommodating Dalits in party posts and ministerial berths. “They are actually parties of the castes that occupy the rungs immediately after Brahmins in the social ladder,” he says.
The emergence of Dalit outfits like Puthiya Tamizhagam and Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi and subsequent Dalit assertion have triggered violence in the past.
“Devendrakula Vellalas, a land-holding Dalit sect, stands up to the oppression and never hesitates to retaliate in the face of violence. The younger generation of other Dalit sects is also no longer ready to observe what the intermediate communities expected of them. Left with no option, caste Hindus resort to violence,” contends Mr Rajadurai.
